Venetian blind part



Nov. 27, 1951 B. WALKER VENETIAN BLIND PART Filed Dec. 31, 1947 Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND PART Brooks Walker, Piedmont, Calif.

Application December 31, 1947, Serial No. 794,851 1 Claim. (01. 160-178) This invention pertains to improvements in Venetian blinds, particularly to blinds in which the lifting cords or tapes or other means of lifting the blind do not go through holes in the slats to secure them against lateral displacement and where the lifting cords or tapes, etc., operate between the slats and the side members of the ladder tape as described in my United States Patent No. 2,200,349, or in connection with any other Venetian blind construction in which greater lateral stability of the slats relative to the ladder tape is desired in order to keep the ends of the slats in end alignment in the blind or to keep the slats from turning over in case the different sides of the slats are painted different colors or to keep the crown of the slats all in one direction in case of crowned, metallic or composition slats.

This invention pertains primarily to spring clips made of wire or other suitable material adapted to be normally supported by the cross members of a Venetian blind ladder tape or a flexible slat spacing mechanism. These spring clips engage one or more apertures in the slats or they engage the slat adjacent to one or more edges of the slat as well as engagement adjacent to the aperture. Such engagement with the slat provides lateral stability of the slat relative to the slat supporting cross member. A further object of the invention is to provide a spring clip of a construction which can be readily secured to or detached from engagement with the cross members which support the slats in the Venetian blind. Another feature of the invention is to provide a spring clip of very inexpensive construction which may be formed of wire or other suit able material and is adapted for engagement on staggered ladder rungs or cross members and adapted to engage apertures in the slats which are mid way between the width extremities of the side members of the ladder tapes so that only single routing of the slats is necessary for the engagement. Another object of the invention is to provide lateral stability of the slats by a spring clip carried on the ladder spacing elements, the engagement with the slat being formed in a positive manner to be more secure than the snap on type of engagement. In this invention, in some forms, hooked ends of spring clips engage the edges of the slats at the apertures, thus providing a very easily detachable and yet very secure holding of the slat relative to the ladder tape or cross members of the ladder tape. An important feature of this invention is the providing of a spring clip which can be readily used to convert conventional Venetian blinds having ordinary route holes for the passage of the lift cords through the slats to the removable type of slat construction wherein the lift cord can be changed and run over the edge of the tilt rail with or without a notch in a manner shown in my United States Patent No. 2,200,349 and then down between the ladder rungs at the opposite sides of the ladder tapes to be secured to the bottom rail.

This method would leave no stability in a lateral direction to the slats unless the blind were inside hung so that the slats could secure stability from the window frame or other end guided means known in the Venetian blind art. The spring clips shown in this invention are readily attached to the staggered ladder rungs and engage the slat adjacent to the edges of the route hole or could engage one outside edge of the slat and an edge at the route hole to provide lateral stability of the slat relative to the cross tape to hold the ends of the slat in alignment. The spring clips shown in this invention are very inexpensive, easily attached to the ladder run grip the slat securely, and are readily detachable from the slat without the aid of tools for the easy removal of the slat. A further object of this invention is to provide means whereby Venetian blind slats can be readily removed for cleaning, repairing, replacement or other uses merely by manually unclasping the spring clip and sliding the slat out from the Venetian blind tapes, it only being necessary to secure the slat adjacent to one tape though any number of such clips from one to a number equalizing the number 01' slats may be used at other tapes or slat spacing elements to keep them in alignment with the main tape used for stabilizing all of the slats. A further object of this invention is to provide an exceedingly inexpensive and easily manufactured method of securing the slats, having an aperture in a given position relatively central to a ladder tape, to cross members on which the slats rest, regardless of whether they are dual or staggered, are of thread, woven or metal construction.

Other advantages will be pointed out in the accompanying description and claim.

This invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view, partly cut away, showing one form of this invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view, partly cut away, showing another form of this invention.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view underneath a Venetian blind slat, partly cut away, showing another form of the invention.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view from underneath the slat, partly cut away, showing another form of the invention in which double ladder rungs are used and a spring clip similar to a paper clip is employed for engaging the aperture of a slat.

Figure 5 is an end elevation view, partly cut away, showing the construction similar to that shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view, partly cut away, showing another form of the invention embodying double ladder rungs and a simplified spring clip.

In all figures, like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts in the various drawings.

In Figure l I have shown a Venetian blind slat IS, a ladder tape with side members in, and cross rungs H. Throughout these various drawings the cross rungs of the ladder tapes are shown as being substantially the same length as the width of the Venetian blind slat. With the lifting cord 20, or a lifting tape, this may cause. some friction between the slat edge and the side member of the ladder tape it, which may be reduced by using alonger length ladder rung H or longer length cross member in any of the drawings shown herein. The slats may be of any construction either metal, Wood, plastic or other suitable composition. fhe ladder tape may be woven or metallic, plastic or of other suitable construction. A spring clip 25 is shown formed of wire or other suitable material and having suitably formed zigzag or looped portions 25a and 251) which can be readily engaged through or over the cross rungs of the ladder tape it to separably form a sliding engagement therewith so that the slat may be readily centred between the side member of the ladder tape or so that the slat can readily adapt itself to the lower pocket formed between the cross rung and the side members of the ladder tape when the slats are tilted to their closed position in either direction. This is particularly important when cross rungs are used of greater length than the width of the slat, and this ordinarily gives less friction to raising or lowering as previously pointed out as well as giving better closing to the slat or slats when they are tilted in either direction. The ends of the spring clip 25 being hooked members 25c and 25d are preferably formed somewhat similar to ends 69a and 69b of Figure 5 to engage the edge of the slat l5 adjacent the edges of the aperture 5a. To conserve space in the pile of the Venetian blind slats when they are collapsed it may be desirable that the hook ends are just open enough to receive the thickness of the slat and therefore to form a good engagement therewith. This engagement of the clip with the slat is easily obtained by a slight finger pressure on the horizontal or lengthwise portion of the spring clip to press one spring clip towards the other to readily disengage the Venetian blind slat, and the same method is used for engaging the Venetian blind slat. The two spring ends of the clip may be gripped between the fingers and compressed for slat engagement or disengagement or one end only can be pressed to the disengaging positionholding the slat which secures the other end of the spring clip for disengagement, or for engagement one end may be hooked and then the other end pressed towards the engaging position and released to gripping position. This same procedure of engagement and disengagement is substantially true in all of Figures 1 through 6.

In Figure 2 I have shown a slat l5. an aperture l5a which is similar to that shown in Figure 1 and is the usual or conventional route hole suitable for passing the lifting cord similar to 26. The spring clip 25 shown in Figure 2 is essentially the same as clip 25 shown in Figure 1 with a very slight modification in the zig-zag portion 25a and 2501 which slidably engages the cross rung II. It can easily be seen that the spring clips of this general construction are universal in nature and can be used on staggered ladder rungs located at either side of the center of width of the cross member as illustrated in Figure 1 relative to Figure 2, or that such clips could be used in connection with double ladder rungs as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6.

In Figure 3 I have shown a clip 26 very similar in construction to that shown in Figure 2 except that it is a little smaller and the ends of the clip 26a and 26b grip the slat at the elongated end of aperture 4! which is made only approximately as wide as the diameter of the wire used in spring clip 26.

In Figure 4 I have shown a slat 33, a ladder tape with side members 9 and double ladder rungs 9a and 91). These ladder rungs may be of the string type, woven type, plastic type, metal or any other suitable cross members known'to the Venetian blind industry or such as may be developed in the future for supporting slats in spaced relationship. A spring clip 35 is formed somewhat in the same general shape as a conventional paper clip except that the ends 35a and 35?: are suitably formed in hooks somewhat similar to ends Etc and 50b of Figure 5. These end portions 35a and 35b grip the edges of a small aperture 38c formed in slat Bil. The paper clip type of form for the spring clip is very simple to'make and gives a construction which is readily engageable with double ladder rungs and'yet provides sufiicient spring motion for the ends so that good engagement with the aperture in the slat by the hooked'ends of the clip is readily obtained. The self-locking feature may be provided by the ends of the clip in line with each other so that engagement or disengagement is secured by having one portion of the wire pass over another during engagement or disengagemerit.

In Figures 5 and 6 I have shown a ladder tape 9 with cross rungs 9a and a spring clip 60 hooked over the cross rungs 9a of the ladder tape with the hooked ends Eilla and 60b engaging the opposite edges of the slat adjacent to the aperture 50a. Straight central section 600 of the spring clip 60, in this form of the invention, passes across the center portion of the aperture 5| and forms the engagement with the cross members or the ladder rung 9a. This clip is exceedingly cheap to manufacture, gives a very positive hold of the slat for positive lateral stability relative to the ladder tape and can be most easily attached to the ladder rungs which being of a flexible nature can be compressed together or one'end hooked and one or both sides deflected for hooked engagement to the other side. The side members 9 of the ladder spacing element or tape hold the cross rungs in such a position as to form suitable support for the spring clip whether the slat is in position or has been removed for cleaning. Though these views all show the spring clip as engaging the slat at opposite edges of an aperture in the slat, it is obvious that a very slight modification of the spring clip would make it suitable for engaging the slat at one edge and at an aperture. The engagement of the slat at the edge could be at the unnotched edge or in a notch at the edge suitable for nesting the lifting cord.

The spring clips as shown in all of the views are very easy to manufacture, may be made of wire or other suitable material, are easily engaged with the cross rung of the ladder spacing element or ladder tapes which support said spring clips when the slats have been removed for cleaning or other purposes. The spring clips as shown are highly advantageous for converting conventional Venetian blinds to the removable slat construction in a manner previously stated by running the lift cords 20 down the outer edges of the slats as shown in my issued Patent No. 2,200,349 providing lateral stability by engagement of the slat through the conventional route hole by the spring clips as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Throughout these figures the apertures in the slats have been shown substantially midway between the widths of the side members of the ladder tapes or ladder spacing elements. It however is obvious that one or more apertures may be used and the two ends of the clips may each engage a separate aperture or an aperture and an edge of a slat, or that the apertures may be located more nearly in line with the cross members on which the slats rest and the spring clips engage separate apertures depending on whether they are attached to a right or a left cross rung.

I do not wish in any way to limit myself to the 6 exact details or mode of operation set forth in this specification and drawings, for it will be obvious that wide departure may be made in the way of details without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention which is set forth in the following claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a Venetian blind, a ladder tape comprising spaced side members and cross rungs, a slat supported on one of the rungs, said slat having an aperture therein, and a clip for securing said slat to said rung, said clip comprising spaced rung engaging portions intermediate the ends of the clip the rung engaging portion consisting of a zigzag formation comprising a central projection and slots on each side thereof for receiving the rung and hooked end portions for engaging the aperture so as to connect the slat to the rung and prevent lateral movement of the slat.

BROOKS WALKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,861,606 Mackin June 7, 1932 2,311,716 Walker Feb. 23, 1943 2,480,993 Adler Sept. 6, 1949 

